JESS ROTHSCHILD
Creator & Executive Producer
Jess Rothschild creates documentary and interview series that explore cultural obsessions, uncover untold histories and bring compelling personalities to the mic. A native New Yorker with a sharp queer perspective, she develops, writes and executive produces each series—from research and talent booking to production and release.
Original documentary series · 2 seasons
Finding Fire Island
The parties made it famous.
The people keep it alive.
The history, mystique and queer imagination of Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines, told by the people who shaped them.
GLAAD Media Award nominee
Created, written, executive produced & narrated by Jess Rothschild
Presented by SiriusXM and Broadway Podcast Network
Featuring voices including
Press & platforms
Finding Fire Island
A documentary series tracing how Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines became a queer cultural mecca—through the people who lived, built and transformed it.
CREATOR · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER · WRITER · NARRATOR
Archival research · Talent booking · Oral-history interviews · Story production · Audio & video delivery
2 seasons
Season Two produced with the Pines Historical Society.
GLAAD MEDIA AWARD NOMINEE
Selected voices
Billy Porter · John Waters · Margaret Cho · Julio Torres · Cody Rigsby
SELECTED PRESS
NPR · WNYC · People · The Hollywood Reporter
Original documentary series · 7 episodes
Cult of
Body & Soul
Exploring how SOULCYCLE transcended fitness as it captured the New York City zeitgeist with ritual, candlelight and cult of personality.
Creator & executive producer
Created, written, executive produced & narrated by Jess Rothschild
Research, insider interviews and narrative storytelling across a seven-part series.
Top New Shows · USJune 10, 2025 · via AP
Press & platforms
Listen & watch:Apple Podcasts ↗Spotify ↗All episodes ↗
“Cult of Body & Soul” is a docu-podcast series that explores how SOULCYCLE transcended fitness as it captured the New York City zeitgeist with ritual, candlelight and cult of personality. We expose the intoxicating power dynamic between riders and instructors, the gate-kept instructor training program, the true story behind founders Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler, and the political scandal that torched the brand’s image.
As seen on:
The New York Post, People Magazine, NPR, WNYC, The Daily Mail
Original interview series · Hosted by Jess Rothschild
Hot Takes & Deep Dives
Formative figures. Cultural obsessions.
Candid conversations with the icons and insiders who shape queer culture, entertainment and New York life.
Recent guests
Rosie O’Donnell
Madonna, The View & a life in television
Watch interview ↗
Sandra Bernhard
Madonna, Letterman & Roseanne
Listen to interview ↗
Fran Drescher
The Nanny, camp & the girl from Flushing
Listen to interview ↗
Melissa Etheridge
Sex, love & behind the music
Listen to interview ↗
Isaac Mizrahi
Unzipped, Madonna & New York life
Watch interview ↗
Madonna’s Blond Ambition dancers
Inside the tour that changed pop
Listen to the reunion ↗Host & producer
Hosted & produced by Jess Rothschild
Talent booking · Interview research · Editorial direction · Audio & video production
As seen on: Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live · SiriusXM · The Huffington Post · People · The Washington Post · Page Six
HOT TAKES & DEEP DIVES
Candid conversations with the cultural icons, creators and personalities who shape queer life and New York City across decades.
HOST & PRODUCER
Talent booking · Interview research · Editorial direction · Audio & video production
Selected guests: Rosie O’Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, Roxane Gay, Isaac Mizrahi & Fran Drescher.
As seen on:
Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, SiriusXM, The Huffington Post, People, The Washington Post and Page Six.
Rothschild, in the wild
Jess is Senior Advisor and historian with Fire Island Pines Historical Society, preserving the artifacts and stories that have shaped The Pines since the 1950s.
Taking stories from headphones to the stage. Live show & concert celebrating the release of Cult of Body & Soul at downtown New York City performance venue Joe’s Pub.
Video archive of all interview subjects including: Margaret Cho, Sandra Bernhard, Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna Blond Ambition Tour dancers, Isaac Mizrahi, The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken & more.
Community. Live events.
Rothschild, in the wild
Preserving queer history, bringing stories to the stage, and keeping the conversation going on camera.
History & community
Preserving queer history
Senior Advisor and historian with the Fire Island Pines Historical Society, preserving the artifacts and stories that have shaped the Pines since the 1950s.
Live storytelling
From headphones
to the stage
A live show and concert at Joe’s Pub celebrating Cult of Body & Soul—bringing the series into one of downtown New York’s iconic performance spaces.
Watch the interview archive ↗The video archive
Conversations
on camera
Watch interviews with Rosie O’Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho, Isaac Mizrahi, Ilene Chaiken, Madonna’s Blond Ambition dancers, and more.